Stars like Taylor Townsend, Coco Gauff, and Carlos Alcaraz have pulled a lot of new fans into tennis — and then those fans discover that no single service carries the whole sport. Tennis rights in the US are split across three main homes, and which one you need depends on which tournament is on that week.
The fastest answer
If you only remember one thing, remember this three-way split:
- ESPN family (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+) — the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
- TNT Sports and HBO Max — the French Open (Roland-Garros).
- Tennis Channel — most of the week-to-week ATP and WTA tour, including the Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events between the majors.
A combination of ESPN+ plus Tennis Channel's streaming service covers more tennis per dollar than anything else — roughly $20 or so a month at typical prices. Add HBO Max for two weeks in late May and early June if you care about the French Open.
Where each Grand Slam lives
| Tournament | When | TV | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | January | ESPN, ESPN2 | ESPN+ |
| French Open | May–June | TNT, truTV | HBO Max |
| Wimbledon | June–July | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | ESPN+ |
| US Open | Aug–Sept | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | ESPN+ |
For the three ESPN majors, ESPN+ is the real workhorse: it streams every court, so you can follow a specific player through the early rounds instead of waiting for the TV broadcast to cut to them. During the majors, some marquee sessions and finals also air on ABC — check listings for the specific year, since the exact split changes.
The French Open moved to Warner Bros. Discovery on a long-term deal, so the pattern there is: big matches on TNT and truTV, and the full streaming experience — including multi-court coverage — on HBO Max.
Between the majors: Tennis Channel
The majors are only eight weeks of the year. The other ten months of tennis — Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Cincinnati, the tour finals, and dozens of smaller stops — live mostly on Tennis Channel.
You can get it two ways:
- As a cable/live-TV channel. It's included in some traditional cable sports tiers and in add-on packages on live-TV streamers (for example, Sling's Sports Extra add-on or higher-tier plans on Fubo and DirecTV Stream). Availability varies by plan, so check the official channel lineup before you sign up.
- Direct, no cable needed. Tennis Channel sells its own standalone streaming subscription (typically around $9.99/month or about $110/year) that includes the linear channel plus extra court feeds. For a tennis-only fan, this is usually the better deal than a full live-TV bundle.
One caveat: rights for individual tour events occasionally shift, and some ATP/WTA matches stream on other services in a given year. If you follow one specific player or event religiously, verify that event's US broadcaster on its official site before match day.
Cost breakdown
Typical prices as of early 2026 — always confirm on the official sites, since streaming prices change often:
| Option | Typical price | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN+ | ~$12/month | Every court at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open |
| ESPN Unlimited (full DTC app) | ~$30/month | Everything on ESPN's linear channels plus ESPN+ |
| HBO Max (with ads) | ~$10/month | Full French Open coverage |
| Tennis Channel streaming | ~$10/month | Year-round ATP/WTA tour |
| Sling + Sports Extra | ~$50–60/month | ESPN channels + Tennis Channel in one bill |
| Fubo / DirecTV Stream | ~$85+/month | Big channel bundles including ESPN; Tennis Channel on some tiers |
The efficient setup for a serious fan: ESPN+ year-round ($12), Tennis Channel streaming year-round ($10), and HBO Max for one month in May–June (~$10). That's under $300 a year for essentially the entire sport — far less than a cable bundle.
The casual setup: just ESPN+, subscribed during the three ESPN majors and paused the rest of the year.
Free and cheapest options
Tennis has more legitimate free coverage than most sports:
- An antenna. ABC airs select sessions of Wimbledon and the US Open — often including finals coverage — completely free over the air. A one-time $25–30 antenna purchase is the cheapest way to see the biggest matches of the summer.
- T2, Tennis Channel's free streaming channel. This ad-supported channel runs on free platforms like The Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Samsung TV Plus. It carries live outer-court matches from some tour events plus replays and classic matches — a genuinely good way to watch tennis for $0.
- Free trials. Live-TV bundles like Fubo and DirecTV Stream typically offer short free trials. Timing one to a tournament's final weekend is a legal, sanctioned way to catch a major moment without committing.
- Highlights. The US Open, Wimbledon, ATP, and WTA all post extended highlights on their official YouTube channels within hours of matches ending.
Right now: the US Open (time-sensitive)
This section reflects the 2026 US Open, running through mid-September 2026. The tournament is on ESPN and ESPN2, with every court streaming on ESPN+ and select coverage on ABC. That means Taylor Townsend's matches — she plays both singles and doubles, and doubles rarely makes the main TV window — are exactly the kind of thing ESPN+ exists for: pick her court from the live match list and watch start to finish. Night sessions from Arthur Ashe Stadium generally start around 7 p.m. ET; day sessions around 11 a.m. ET. For the exact order of play, check usopen.org the night before.
FAQ
Do I need cable to watch tennis in 2026? No. Every major and most of the tour is reachable with direct streaming subscriptions: ESPN+ (or ESPN's full app) for three of the four Slams, HBO Max for the French Open, and Tennis Channel's own streaming service for the rest of the tour. Cable and live-TV bundles are a convenience, not a requirement.
Why can't I find doubles matches on TV? TV broadcasts prioritize singles on the main show courts. Doubles — including top American teams — usually streams on the individual court feeds inside ESPN+ (for ESPN majors), HBO Max (French Open), or Tennis Channel's extra courts. Open the full match list in the app rather than the main channel.
What's the single cheapest way to follow a full Grand Slam? ESPN+ for the Australian Open, Wimbledon, or US Open — one month at roughly $12 gets every match on every court. For the French Open, one month of ad-supported HBO Max does the same for about $10.